by Rachel Aukes
Sienna scowled. “Are you two done? Now can we talk again?” She looked straight at Roden. “You were saying?”
He grinned, and then he frowned and spat blood. “I know you have a tahren. On this world, you could have chosen none higher in status. Except for Apolo that is, but he is already taken and Krysea’s not here, so that no longer matters. By taking me as your consort, you—the human—unite both the Sephians and the Draeken while also bringing in the human element.”
She squinted. “What part of tahren don’t you understand?”
“I take it your tahren failed to mention that, in both our races, women in authority can have more than one cohort. It has been done in the past to unite people. I have no doubt it would work here.”
Sienna’s knees grew wobbly, though she remained standing. Out of everything she had prepared for today, a marriage proposal wasn’t one of them. Especially from a being who had tried to kill her.
Roden’s gaze moved to Nalea. He looked up and down like he was undressing her. “However, one of Apolo’s elite trinity would serve as a suitable second choice to unite our two races on this new world. The human element is merely a nice political statement.”
Nalea snarled and Roden smiled. “I’m nobody’s second choice,” she gritted out before lunging at him.
Sienna saw a shimmer in the light and noticed the knife Nalea gripped. “Lea, no!”
The other two Draeken pulled out their blasters, and Legian and Jax did the same. Sienna expected to feel the pain of being shot. Instead, she was knocked to the ground. She looked up to see Legian roll off her and start firing at the Draeken. Shots were returned.
Dark gold liquid flowed from his shoulder. “Damn it, Legian. You got shot.”
“Only a flesh wound,” he muttered.
She pushed him behind the trunk of the tree. Sienna couldn’t see anything. Legian blocked her view. “Stay here,” she ordered, and then jumped behind the next tree. She looked around the large trunk and caught a glimpse of Jax firing his gun while running in a crouched position toward where the Draeken had been standing before she was knocked to the ground.
She fired several shots into the air in case the Sephians had lost contact with Nalea. Something caught her eye. She turned in time to be grabbed by the Draeken male.
He tackled her to the ground, and her bad leg twisted under his weight. Agony shot through her, but she pushed the pain back by biting her lip. Her attacker had been shot at least twice, but he moved like he was in no pain. He lifted a knife. She let out a war cry, jerked her gun to him, and squeezed the trigger point blank at his chest.
She couldn’t say how many times she shot him. All she knew was that she held the trigger down until there was a hole where his chest had been. As his body fell, Legian caught it and threw it to the side. He then pulled her to her feet and looked her over for wounds. Only after he had convinced himself she was okay did he pull her to him.
Sienna clutched Legian’s arms around her waist as she stared at the corpse. She’d never killed so close before. She thought she was going to be sick.
Voices jarred her from her thoughts. She turned to Legian. Her eyes widened when she remembered he was wounded and slapped her hand over his shoulder.
He winced and wrapped his hand around her wrist but didn’t pull it away. “Save your strength,” he murmured.
“Trust me. I’ve got enough energy for both of us,” she replied and kept her hand in place, the warmth buzzing under her palm. With her adrenaline high, she felt like she could heal every wounded Sephian in a ten-mile radius. For seconds—or minutes—they watched each other, unafraid of each other’s gaze.
Once the heat between Legian’s shoulder and her hand returned to normal, she pulled away and put her hand in his. Together, they walked back toward the cave. Reinforcements had arrived and were scanning the area. Jax sported several cuts, but was now busy tying up the Draeken woman, while Nalea was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Lea?” she asked to no one in particular.
“We haven’t been able to find either her or Roden yet. We searched the area. It doesn’t look like there were any other Draeken,” one of the soldiers reported while he eyed her warily.
Her second greatest fear furrowed in her stomach. “Lea’s gone.” She grabbed Legian’s hands. “We’ve got to get her back.”
Numbly, Sienna looked once more at the Draeken she’d killed. She realized that killing was easy; it was the losing a bit of her soul that was the hard part.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sienna scolded herself every time she ended up in another training session with Legian. He looked like he was enjoying himself, as if these training sessions were his revenge for every time she pissed him off. He’s getting his vengeance all right, she thought as she tied the bandana around her head to catch the sweat burning her eyes.
She couldn’t see his eyes through the dark sunglasses he wore, which made it even harder to guess his moves. To make matters worse, her leg brace was still being recalibrated by Doc. And she didn’t have her old brace at the cabin, leaving her to train by balancing on one leg. Serious handicap, but Legian seemed to think it was a good idea in case she was ever caught without a brace.
He lunged, and she dove to the side. He caught her ankle and she kicked back, hitting him square in the chest. He fell back, but was on his feet a split second later.
“That may work on me, but Draeken are stronger and faster. They age faster, but that does you no good in battle unless you plan to lecture them to death on English slang.”
“Ha ha,” she quipped.
“You can’t beat them with a frontal attack. You aren’t strong enough. You’ve got to go for their wings. They are extremely sensitive and the fastest way to take one down. You can take down a Draeken three times your size if you get hold of a wing.”
“That’s a bit tricky to practice, since you don’t have wings,” she snapped back.
He ignored her. “They protect their wings. Keep them close to their bodies. You have to find other ways to take them down, too.”
“I can’t do this.” She let out an exasperated sigh, sat down on the floor and rubbed her bad leg.
“Yes, you can.” Legian stepped closer and held out a hand.
Seizing the moment, Sienna grabbed his hand and yanked him forward as she reached for her cane. He fell, and she straddled him, pressing the cane against his neck. His eyes widened.
He smiled then he cussed. “You cheated.”
“Yeah. So? I’m not the one lying on his back right now.”
With a grunt in response, he brought a hand up and gingerly pushed the cane away. “I think we’ve had enough training for one day.” He ignored her offered hand, instead pushing himself to his feet.
She smiled. “Sore loser.”
“Don’t think a Draeken will fall for that trick,” he scolded.
“And don’t think that’s the only trick up my sleeve,” she replied.
Inside, Jax and Ace were playing a game of gin rummy. Risa sat next to a scowling Jax. Ace was grinning.
“Let me guess. Ace is winning,” Sienna said, stepping through the doorway.
“I think he’s cheating,” Jax said.
Ace snorted. “Poor man’s down because I’m kicking his ass.”
“What do you have there?” she asked, motioning to the cheese dip and nachos on the table next to Ace.
“My snack,” the soldier replied without looking up. “Get your own.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know if you know this, but you’re a guest at my home right now,” she said to the man sitting on her couch.
“Doesn’t mean you get my nachos.”
“Fine. I’ll remember that at Christmas time.” She headed into the kitchen to make her own snack. She cubed the cheese and mixed in a can of diced tomatoes and peppers. As it bubbled in the microwave, she thought of Nalea. It had been three days. Apolo had been furious. He’d said that of all the trinity member
s, they couldn’t lose Nalea to the Draeken—whatever that meant. He’d tried to check with his informant, but again received no response. It was a safe bet his cover had been blown and he was bear bait in Canada right about now. The Draeken prisoner in the basement had been even less help.
They’d sent out scouts, but they’d found nothing. It was difficult to follow a trail when there were no tracks. Everyone assumed Roden must have flown away, taking his Sephian prisoner with him and leaving them with very little to go on. Nalea’s name had become taboo around the cabin. Her disappearance sat heavily, like a proverbial white elephant in the room. No one spoke of it, yet everyone was thinking about it.
Juggling her cheese and a bag of nachos in one hand and the cane in the other, Sienna hobbled back into the living room. She sat down next to Ace and crunched her chips extra loudly. When he looked at her, she smiled sweetly. “My snack. Back off.”
Legian leaned forward and grabbed a couple chips. He ate them plain. Sephian food was bland, and he hadn’t grown accustomed to anything spicier than Doritos yet.
Jax threw his cards down and pushed back from the table. “This is bullshit. I swear you could play Russian roulette with a fully loaded revolver and win.”
Ace shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “And you like the beatings. You’re a regular sub. I know what you need.”
“What’s that?” Jax asked.
“You need a woman to pull out the whips and chains,” he replied with a wicked-ass grin.
With that, Jax barked out a laugh. “Yeah, whatever man. I’m out of here. Time for a perimeter check.”
“Sure. Take out your sexual frustrations on the poor guards,” Ace said.
Jax flipped his friend the bird as he stood. Risa kissed Jax, and he headed out the door, letting the screen door slam shut behind him.
Sienna sat and smiled through their banter. She needed his humor and normalcy more than she liked to admit.
Risa stretched. “I could use a nap,” she mumbled through a yawn, covering her mouth.
“See you later,” Sienna called out after the med-tech as she headed down the hall.
“Hold up.” Ace pulled himself to his feet, the grin dropping from his face. “We gotta talk.”
Risa turned, eyed him warily, and then smiled warmly. “Of course.”
Ace sauntered down the hall, and the two disappeared in the guest bedroom. Sienna had set it aside for Apolo, but he’d ended up staying at the base. Jax—and therefore Risa—had claimed the open room right away to keep a close eye on Sienna, leaving everyone else in temporary shelters erected around the cabin.
She looked at Legian. “Speaking of naps, I could use one, too.”
“If by nap, you mean us naked and me inside you, I’ll come with you.”
“No. I was thinking of that full body massage you owe me.”
A scream rang out from across the hall. Sienna surged up. Legian leapt toward the door. He turned the handle and turned back to her.
“Go!” She hopped behind him.
He tore the door open and had disappeared inside before Sienna made it three steps closer. Shuffling sounds and crying emanated from the room. She pulled open the drawer to her nightstand and cursed when she remembered she’d taken that gun to the base when she first left the cabin with Legian. Slamming it shut, she hurried as quickly as her lame leg allowed. Grabbing the doorway, she stumbled into the room and froze.
Legian had a choke-hold on Ace, who was holding his gun point blank at Risa’s heart.
“Jesus Christ. What’s going on here?” Sienna demanded.
“Oh, thank the gods.” Risa ran toward Sienna and wrapped her arms around her.
“Get away from her, traitor,” Ace belted out, and Legian tightened his grip, causing the man to cough.
Sienna faced the men, still holding Risa, who was trembling. “Legian, release him.”
Legian backed off slowly and Ace jumped to one side. Risa looked at him and cowered into her. “Keep him away from me,” she whimpered into her neck.
Sienna patted the med-tech on the back as she eyed Ace. “What the hell happened?”
Ace opened his mouth to speak, but Risa jumped in to speak first. “He tried to seduce me. When I rejected him, he tried to rape me.”
“Bullshit.” Ace held a hand against his shoulder, a dark red stain outlining his hand. “She tried to kill me.”
Risa trembled in her arms. “He’s lying. I tried to protect myself. He’s jealous of Jax. He said he was going to hurt me when I fought back. I swear it.”
“If I wanted her dead, she’d be dead already,” Ace gritted out through clenched teeth.
At that moment, Jax strolled into the room. He stopped, stared, and muttered, “What the hell’s going on?”
“Jax! Gods, I’m so glad you’re here.” Risa ran to him and pointed at her lover’s best friend. “That man tried to rape me!”
Jax looked in shock from Risa to Ace and back again. Ace said nothing, but his entire body tensed like a cable pulled too tight. Sienna prayed silently that he wouldn’t snap. Then, ever so slowly, Jax’s hands dropped from holding Risa. He backed away and raw anger poured over his face.
“Jax?” Risa pleaded in a whimper, reaching out to him.
“What did you do?” Jax ground out the words.
Risa’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean?”
“What did she do?” he asked Ace, never taking his eyes off her.
“She tried to kill me,” Ace replied. “I told her that I saw her around the video feeds the morning they went offline, and she freaked.”
The video… “The letter.” Sienna stared at Risa. Like a rain shower, the pieces fell into place.
“He’s lying,” Risa sobbed out as she backed away from Jax.
Jax scowled. “Ace never lies.” He edged closer to her, his hand reaching behind his back. “And he would never, ever try to rape a woman. Anyone who knows him knows what happened to his sister.” A hard look fell over him. He had made a decision. And from the way he looked at Risa, it didn’t bode well for her.
In a rush, Risa charged Sienna. Sienna jumped back, stopping against the wall. Risa pulled out a blaster, and Sienna froze. There was no escape this time. Risa grabbed her arm and stepped behind her, using her as living body armor.
“Stop or else I’ll kill her,” Risa threatened, and the three men stopped in their tracks. “I’m sorry,” she said to Jax.
“You’re sorry?” Jax asked incredulously. He shook his head. “I was your perfect sap. I got you access to the officers’ hall, Apolo’s room…. Don’t apologize for something you planned out detail by fucking detail. No. I give you kudos. You played me good. You’re one hell of an actress.”
Sienna could feel Risa trembling behind her. “It’s not like that.”
Jax glared. “Give the act up already.”
“How could you, Risa? How could you betray your own people like this?” Sienna asked, trying to distract the med-tech as she thought through ideas of how to get the blaster pointing at her head to be pointing at anything but her head or the men in the room.
Risa guffawed. “The Sephians aren’t my people. They were never my people. The woman who gave birth to me left me to die in an alley, like I was nothing but garbage. It was a Draeken who saved me. They protected us from ourselves. And how did we show our appreciation? We stabbed them in the backs.”
“You were their slaves,” Sienna replied.
“No, not slaves. Not all of us. Hillas raised me as his own.”
“Hillas.” The single word fell from Legian’s lips in no more than a whisper.
Risa turned Sienna to face Legian. “Yes, Hillas is my father. He may not be the one who impregnated my mother, but he treats me like his daughter. He is a far better father than any Sephian could be.”
“He used you,” Legian replied.
“No. Never.”
Sienna felt the blaster nudge against her temple.
“He loves me. He didn’t ask
me to take this mission, but I volunteered. I did it. To protect him.”
“But Hillas is dead,” Sienna said.
“Hillas is not dead. But you will be.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The blaster moved against Sienna’s temple as Risa adjusted her grip. Sienna seized her chance. Throwing her head back, she connected with something that made a loud crunch.
“Uh!” Risa’s grip loosened, and Sienna jerked away the instant the blaster went off. Heat blasted by her face, and the smell of burnt hair filled her nostrils. In slow motion, she watched Risa aim the blaster at Jax.
Jax dove for Risa.
Risa fired.
Jax didn’t stop. He chopped the med-tech in the throat, knocking her to her knees. The blaster dropped to the carpeted floor with a thud. Risa’s hands clawed at her throat as she struggled for air that wouldn’t come. Jax had showed Sienna that move a week ago. It was sure death, he’d said. Her windpipe had been crushed. It was just a matter of time now.
Blood poured from Risa’s broken nose. Jax just stood there and stared while Risa fought to breathe. As her eyes bulged, she reached out to Jax. He did nothing as she grabbed his pant legs before sliding down into a crumpled heap on the floor.
Silence fell over the room. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity in a black hole. Finally, Jax moved forward, only to stumble. Everyone lunged forward to grab him, but Ace got there first. Sliding an arm around Jax’s back, Ace helped him to the bed before sitting down on the cedar chest.
Sienna glanced toward the hall. “I’ll grab a first-aid kit.”
She returned from the bathroom a seconds later with her cane in hand and an armful of supplies. Legian had torn away Jax’s shirt to reveal a nasty burn on his hip.
Ace continued to hold a hand against his shoulder. “You’re lucky she was a bad shot. It grazed you.”
Jax remained silent while he stared out the window.
Dumping the supplies on the bed, Sienna grabbed some scissors and faced Ace. He lowered his hand and fresh blood seeped through his shirt.
“Knife wound,” was all he said.